Virginia Tech Dendrology

peach Rosaceae Prunus persica (L.) Batsch symbol: PRPE3
Leaf: Alternate, simple, lanceolate, serrated, 3 to 6 inches long, often curved along midrib, shiny dark green above, paler below.
Flower: Pink to lavender, 1 inch across, solitary but often close together, appearing in early spring.
Fruit: Fuzzy drupe, 3 inches across, yellow and red, hard, ribbed pit inside encloses the seed, very delicious and juicy, ripens in mid summer.
Twig: New growth is red and green, later turns gray-brown, buds are blunt and gray fuzzy, spur shoots present.
Bark: Dark gray, initially smooth with elongated lenticels, later splits and becomes irregularly scaly.
Form: A small tree up to 15 feet with a spreading crown.
Looks like: black cherry - Asian plum

Additional Range Information: Prunus persica is planted in the USDA hardiness zones shown above and may seed into the landscape. Download the full-size PDF map.
More Information: Fall Color
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2021 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information